Dbriefs Webcasts – April 25-May 1, 2014

Upcoming Webcasts for Financial Executives

With growth slowing and pressures building across a vast economy, China has reached an important new inflection point. What should foreign companies keep in mind as they revisit their investment strategies for China and eye the global positioning of their Chinese rivals? We’ll discuss:

Trends shaping cross-border business climate in China, including the Xi-Li reform agenda and recent regulatory changes.

Some recent cross-border M&A transactions.

A focused look at Chinese outbound investments, including those made in North America.

Gain insights into emerging Chinese M&A trends and opportunities and consider the implications for your business through 2014 and beyond.

With companies preparing to adopt the COSO 2013 Internal Control – Integrated Framework, many have chosen to refresh and improve their organization’s existing internal controls. What steps are they taking, and where are they focused? We’ll discuss:

Leading practices in preparing for adoption of the 2013 COSO Framework, including considerations for performing a GAP analysis of the current control structure and the new COSO Framework.

Common internal control challenges.

Ways to challenge and enhance current fraud risk assessments in light of the 2013 COSO Framework.

Examine effective internal control and fraud risk assessment practices that can advance the adoption of the 2013 COSO Framework.

A dynamic health care environment has created opportunities for states to take a pivotal role in shaping the future. These opportunities will expand as state health entities become more integrated with the private sector and through public-private partnerships. We’ll discuss:

Potential scenarios for state agencies’ role in the future.

How state agencies can plan for tomorrow’s challenges using public and private sector best practices and innovations.

What an integrated infrastructure will need to help meet future needs.

Learn how states can develop a roadmap that is focused on innovation and transformation, and which charts a course for a complex health care future.

Fraud prevention is at the top of the agenda for investment managers. With recent U.S. SEC activities, how can investment managers prioritize efforts to develop a strong culture of anti-fraud programs and controls? We’ll discuss:

Recent SEC enforcement actions and priorities, including the focus on corporate disclosures and the type of information companies release to investors.

Whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act post-implementation and implications for the future, including the possible scope and speed of SEC actions.

Regulator and investor concerns over potential fraud through valuation manipulation and establishing transparent methodologies to help mitigate this risk.

As private companies expand their footprints, they often begin conducting business internationally through sourcing materials or exploring new markets. What import, export, and value-added tax (VAT) issues could prove to be serious obstacles to global growth? We’ll discuss:

A macro-level view of import, export, and VAT regimes around the world and how they affect international trade flows.

Typical touch points in a global supply chain where import, export, and VAT issues arise, including common tax and duty risks.

States have enacted varying versions of sourcing rules for apportionment of income from services and intangible property intended to reflect the market for such income. As a result, businesses and tax authorities alike are wrestling with the differences. We’ll discuss:

In-memory technologies are becoming the engines of ERP. From analytical to transactional systems, they offer the potential for business processes to be fundamentally reshaped. What are important considerations for companies that want to leverage in-memory technologies? We’ll discuss:

Recent advances and changes that are leading to today’s in-memory revolution and the potential to use in-memory technologies to solve new and advanced business problems.

Types of investments organizations are making in in-memory technologies today.

Related Deloitte Insights

Upcoming webcasts include “What Offshore Fund Directors Need to Know About Audits and Taxes” on March 25 at 2 PM ET and “From Disruption to Opportunity: Managing and Capitalizing on Strategic Risk" on March 26 at 2 PM ET. Join these and other webcasts designed for executive-level audiences on important developments affecting business.

Upcoming webcasts include “Market Value Realization: Building Investor Confidence” on March 17 at 2 PM ET with guest speaker Charles Triano, senior vice president, Investor Relations at Pfizer, and “M&A in Alternative Energy: What's Driving Recent Activities?" on March 17 at 2 PM ET. Join these and other webcasts designed for executive-level audiences on important developments affecting business.

Upcoming webcasts include “FATCA and Common Reporting Standard: Preparing for New Compliance Risks in 2015” on March 9 at 2 PM ET and “Recent Fraud and Corruption Enforcement Trends: Impacts on the Insurance Industry" on March 10 at 2 PM ET. Join these and other webcasts designed for executive-level audiences on important developments affecting business.

Views & Analysis

Although board seats don’t become available all that often, as more organizations broaden their definition of diversity the pool of potential candidates is expanding. What does it take to land such a spot? Industry and international experience, a knowledge of risk and technology issues, and personal traits that range from intellectual curiosity to unassailable integrity are just some of the qualities and qualifications that matter. Learn how to assess your viability and what steps you might take to enhance your appeal to search committees.

Continued uncertainty about the economy and increased regulation across several industries have required a more informed and efficient use of capital. Working with management, the board of directors can play a fundamental role in the capital allocation process through its oversight function, including participating in strategy development, examining risks, comparing strategy to results and focusing on key investment terms. Understand how boards can help guide the capital allocation process by challenging business plans and strategy, and reviewing capital allocation alternatives, among other efforts.

As proxy season approaches, several governance issues and proposals are likely to emerge, reflecting shareholders’ increased attention to how companies’ stances on governance matters can impact shareholder value, according to Carol Schumacher, who has held roles as investor relations (IR) officer and corporate affairs officer at a Fortune 10. She discusses shareholders’ expectations for the governance information that management provides, and what IR can do to help companies respond, in a conversation with Sanford Cockrell III, U.S. national managing partner, CFO Program, Deloitte LLP.

Editor's Choice

Boards and C-suite executives overwhelmingly see risk as having an important role in value creation, but just 17% of respondents say they are actively using risk to drive returns, according to a new global survey from Deloitte. The survey also found that senior stakeholders want chief risk officers to spend significantly more time playing the strategist role, with a majority of respondents saying their risk officers should participate more in setting the strategic direction of the company and aligning risk management strategies accordingly.

Traditionally, internal audit (IA) has focused on providing assurance with respect to known risks and the effectiveness of controls in mitigating those risks. Regulators, however, are increasingly interested in an organization’s ability to identify blind spots and other vulnerabilities that may undermine the integrity of the risk management environment, including the risk of misconduct. IA functions can play a pivotal role by substantively testing culture and identifying potential risk-related outliers that may not be visible via other means, such as supervisory frameworks, escalations, compliance assessment and testing, and previous audits.

Identifying and managing strategic risks can be a difficult task. To add to the challenge, many companies have traditionally separated their risk and strategy functions and think of risk as more of a compliance responsibility rather than a dynamic tool for value creation, business performance management and growth. However, companies that align strategy and risk can be better served to allow for a process of “strategic resiliency,” which involves anticipating, knowing and acting on risks when introducing or executing new strategies as a way of increasing the chances of success in spite of uncertainty.

About Deloitte Insights

Deloitte’s Insights for C-suite executives and board members provide information and resources to help address the challenges of managing risk for both value creation and protection, as well as increasing compliance requirements.